Rochester's mounted patrol: talk of eliminating it provided a smokescreen behind which Citygov has raised our taxes and fees!

Tuesday night, June 18, Rochester’s City Council passed the budget for 2013-2014.

During the few weeks prior to that, Rochester’s mounted patrol somehow became a major issue in the budget.

Personally, I like Rochester’s mounted patrol. It provides a certain ambience to our tacky downtown.

For the last two years, the mounted patrol has been a subject of Rochester’s cheese-paring tactics to balance the budget, since Citygov is unable or unwilling to pursue budget reform.

The cost to maintain the mounted patrol has been anywhere from $50,000 to $700,000, depending on when and whom one speaks to from Citygov.

Given the fact that the budget is over $1 billion, even taking the high estimate for the cost of the mounted patrol is still a drop in the bucket, when one considers the tens of millions of dollars Citygov continually throws away pursuing “shrewd” business deals in the form of PILOT plans that have made Rochester’s property tax unequal AND unfair.

Worse still is the fact that capital projects continue through loans to pursue them, because members of Citygov gleefully state that “money is cheap right now.”

It isn’t, and loans have to be paid back with interest, deferring the inevitable day of reckoning for the future.

Back to the horses!

Apparently, there was such a ruckus raised about eliminating the mounted patrol that Citygov had to do something about it. Apparently, the residents of Rochester like our horses more than they do our politicians who pursue their questionable practices for our “good.”

A compromise was reached: the mounted patrol would be reduced in size, but not eliminated.

Rochester’s City Council confirmed this Tuesday night.

The D&C stated that they were told that the horses that were laid off were sent to good homes, which should make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Unfortunately, this mounted patrol business was merely a smokescreen to cover the fact that most of we homeowners in the City of Rochester will be paying several hundred dollars more in property tax for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. AND fees will increase as well. Except for those businesses that have made special deals with Citygov that, in the long run, really benefit nobody but the principals involved.

Where Citygov is concerned, familiarity breeds exempt!

And Citygov has yet to learn the creative accounting practices of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, which, while a complete sham, are packaged more attractively than Rochester’s. At least they are less obvious!

Whether we kept the mounted patrol at full size or eliminated it entirely, we Rochester homeowners would still be paying hundreds of dollars more in taxes and fees.

It will only get worse next year, because Citygov is counting on a miracle ( again ) to cover the next expected shortfall, a miracle that will probably NOT be forthcoming.

THAT doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And it shouldn’t make you feel that way, either.

Rochester's infamous red light cameras: A violation of our constitutional right to due process?

Yesterday, the D&C announced that local man was suing the city and the state about our infamous red light camera program, claiming that it violated his constitutional right to due process: the right to confront his accuser!

It is the first such lawsuit brought against the city.

I am surprised that it took so long!

A brief recap about the red light camera program is necessary here.

In 2009, Rochester’s City Council approved installing red light cameras at certain intersections. A private company would purchase the cameras, install, maintain and monitor them.

The cameras would photograph cars running red lights or making illegal turns by red lights at those intersections.

The owners of the offending vehicles would receive a fine in the mail that would not affect the points on their drivers’ licenses.

The city would not pay the company to do this; the company’s expenses would be paid out of the fines. Any profit would go to the city.

And there has been profit.

At no time did the city ever suggest that the installation of these cameras was done to promote public and pedestrian safety. It was done purely to raise revenue for the city by picking the pockets of otherwise law-abiding citizens, another example of Citygov’s perpetual habit of nickel and diming us to death with taxes, fees and fines.

It is, perhaps, merely a coincidence that a very vocal proponent of these red-light cameras, then city councilman-at-large Bill Pritchard, promptly moved out of Rochester once this legislation was enacted. Pritchard ultimately moved out of New York State altogether.

One bone of contention about the red light cameras is that were not manufactured here, by our own Kodak company.

Other problems soon arose.

City employees found it possible to have their red-light tickets “fixed.”

And technical glitches in two cameras set up on Mount Read Boulevard resulted in people who did NOT drive through red lights being fined. The official explanation was that the timers were off!

Most law-abiding people merely grumbled and paid the fine, which is what Citygov counted on in the first place. And there are probably a lot more malfunctioning red light cameras than Citygov is willing to admit to.

The use of cameras by governments to regulate and control its citizens are common enough throughout the world. Our “blue light cameras” in Rochester is just another such example, although it does nothing to raise revenue for the city.

Admittedly, most of our troubled neighborhoods want blue light cameras installed near well known nuisance sites throughout Rochester. That we, we can identify the troublemakers and hopefully catch them in the act of committing crimes, with the goal of getting them off of the street.

Rochester actually owns these cameras. They are very expensive to maintain, which accounts for the fact that nearly a third of them are constantly in a state of disrepair and not functioning..

Blue light cameras have been only marginally successful in combatting crime on our streets when and where they work. They have driven youth gangs, drug dealers and prostitutes off of the main drags where they congregate, only to see them relocate to the side streets of our neighborhoods, out of the cameras’ view. Blue light cameras are merely a temporary expedient that does not eliminate crime.

Where does that leave us?

Well, we have red-light cameras whose purpose is only to raise revenue. We have blue light cameras that merely moves crime and criminals out of view. We have a Citygov that continually schemes to find new ways to raise revenue out of people who either live in or drive through Rochester.

I am suggesting a solution to Citygov, one that might help it in its perpetual quest to cash in on its residents.

Citygov ought to petition the governor to legalize marijuana and prostitution. That way, it can be regulated, licensed and taxed, opening up a whole new source of revenue and opportunities for government jobs.

People who sell pot or gratuitous sex on the side could be arrested an imprisoned for evading the taxes, licenses and fees involved.

And we know that governments will more readily forgive treason than messing with taxes and revenues.

We are losing the war against drugs and prostitution, anyway, so why not let the government make some money out of it?

And we can probably get rid of those expensive blue light cameras that really aren’t working to stop crime.

If some people find legalizing and taxing pot and prostitution morally distasteful, is it any more distasteful than paying fines based on red light cameras that might not be working properly?

Another "Voice of the Citizens" meeting about balancing Rochester's budget!

Well, the annual circus involving Rochester’s budget has begun.

In the spirit of “transparency,” Rochester’s current mayor has initiated another series of his “Voice of the Citizens” meetings. Presumably, this will give the mayor “citizen input” on how to balance the city’s budget in the midst of yet another shortfall, on where the citizens are willing to see cuts in those areas that keep a city alive, if not thriving.

Just such a meeting took place yesterday for the northwest district, at the Edgerton neighborhood’s Stardust Ballroom.

Tables were laid out, labeled with different areas of budgetary concern: the police department, the fire department, libraries, youth programs and so on.

The idea was that advocates for those areas in the budget group around those tables and make their voices clear about maintaining those services.

Appointed officials from Citygov attended. So did many neighborhood advocates. Even a sprinkling of elected officials showed up, including the candidates for Mayor of Rochester: Tom Richards, Alex White and City Council President, the Honorable Lovely A. Warren, Esquire.

This IS, after all, a big election year in the City of Rochester. But incumbents are well aware of how that farce usually plays out here in Rochester.

The meeting was remarkably similar to that of last year.

We were treated to slideshow graphs of where our money goes. We also got a frightening display as to how much certain services cost in comparison to other services.

Libraries and youth programs were specifically singled out.

For instance, to keep a library open costs as much as x number of policemen or firefighters. A rec center costs as much as x number of policemen or firefighters.

These numbers might be honest enough, but the message is clear: libraries and youth programs are not really a major priority in Citygov. The Duffy/Richards administration has never been overly concerned about neighborhoods, anyway, and closing those focal points in neighborhoods are a constant fear to those of us who do not live in the toney East End neighborhoods where most of this administration resides.

Some other well-known but unpleasant facts were reiterated last night.

One is that there will probably be no multi-million dollar bail-out from Albany, like we got last year. However Governor Cuomo “graciously” gave ONE BILLION BLOODY BUCKS to Buffalo last year.

Buffalo is on terminal life support from Albany, anyway.

Then there’s the fact that both Buffalo and Syracuse receive more in state aid than does Rochester!

Rochester’s budget director pointed out that if Rochester received as much state aid as does Buffalo, there wouldn’t be a budgetary crisis! And Buffalo is now only marginally larger in population than Rochester!

This promptly explodes the myth that having ex-mayor Bob Duffy as Governor Cuomo’s second banana would somehow be beneficial to Rochester. Duffy hasn’t been. And when Duffy high-tailed it to Albany, he left Rochester in a far worse state than he found it. Richards’ administration is merely a holdover from that of Duffy’s.

Where does this leave us?

Citygov has long been ignoring the fact that big industry has pulled out of Rochester, and along with it the huge amount of property tax those businesses paid into the city’s coffers. Citygov ignored the inevitable day of reckoning, which is now.

Why else did Duffy high-tail it to Albany three weeks after he said that he “wasn’t going anywhere?”

We are told that we cannot balance the city’s budget based on our declining property tax base. That is not completely true.

What is true is that, according to City Councilman Carolee Conklin at the Charlotte Community Association’s meeting last night ( April 1 ), 37% of Rochester’s properties are “tax exempt,” yet they receive the same police, fire and snow removal services as everyone else.

I suggested that the city tack on fees for those services to those tax exempt properties, which would probably cause an uproar from the owners of such properties and require a lot of the smart lawyers employed by Citygov to check that possibility out. But then, Citygov was all gung ho for “red light cameras” AND parking tickets, which employees of Citygov feel they are exempted from paying!

We are also told by Citygov that even increasing property taxes by the 2% limit allowed by state law would not generate enough cash to balance the budget, and tick of the increasingly poor property tax payers in Rochester, driving even more to leave the city.

But isn’t there another possibility: taxing all of Rochester’s property fairly?

Green Party Candidate for Mayor of Rochester Alex White: Unfair property tax assessments are the reason Rochester can't rely on property taxes to balance the budget.

THAT, apparently hasn’t dawned upon Citygov, although many people have been clamoring for that for years! Especially by Green Party candidate for mayor Alex White.

We all know of the “devil’s bargains” that Citygov has made with Wilmorite, Winn and Collegetown involving payments in lieu of taxes. These payments are far less than would be realized by taxing those properties at their assessed values. And these are only a drop in the bucket!

As Alex has correctly pointed out, these PILOT agreements have in the last few years cost Rochester hundreds of millions of dollars in lost property tax revenue, because the properties involved in such agreements are assessed at rates far below their construction costs!

City Councilman Carla Palumbo ( also present at the Charlotte Community Association’s meeting last night ) stated that, eventually, those PILOT agreements expire and the buildings will eventually be subjected to paying property tax. Eventually? And at what rate?

According to Alex ( sounds like the title of a great news program, doesn’t it), even when the PILOT agreements expire, those buildings still maintain their low and unfair assessment! And this creates the precedent for under-assessing other large buildings, perpetuating Citygov’s property tax problems.

What does that leave us with?

We have Albany dispensing higher amounts of state largesse to Buffalo and Syracuse than to us, Bob Duffy’s position as lieutenant governor be damned!

We have Citygov continually threatening us with cutting essential services like police and fire protection OR cutting libraries and youth programs, and largely unconcerned with the problems that plague our neighborhoods.

We have Citygov entering into devilish PILOT agreements on a constant basis, which detract from our property tax base ( which is shrinking with every vacant house that is demolished and boarded up ), while claiming that we can no longer balance the budget by relying on property taxes. Which they never enforce equally, anyway.

We have 37% of our properties listed as “tax exempt,” and not paying anything for essential services at all!

These are problems that face most of the cities of America’s “rustbelt.”

What it boils down to is that we have an administration that is constantly talking about finding new formulae to balance the budget, but are relying on old and increasingly failing practices of raising taxes, cutting services, ignoring the neighborhoods and somehow having the cash available to “reinvigorate” downtown and build a new marina in Charlotte that nobody really wants ( and we really can’t afford ).

And we are supposed to be grateful for that?

Well, Citygov does seem to regard Rochester’s residents as a herd of sheep!

Maggie's new radio ad, praising the Republican majority in the County Legislature for passing her 2014 budget unchanged: High farce at its most farcical!

Possibly the funniest paid-for political advertisement I’ve heard in years is currently running on Legends 102.7 FM radio!

In the tradition of “High Farce,” Republican County Executive Maggie Brooks offers her comments on the passage of her highly controversial 2013 budget by the Republican controlled County Legislature this past Tuesday night.

As with everything else Maggie says and does, it is more important to notice what she doesn’t say than what she chooses to say.

Maggie begins by informing the listeners that all the other counties in New York State are in a mess, and that we aren’t. Maggie fails to mention that Monroe County’s property tax is among the highest in New York State and the entire nation.

Maggie then goes on to praise the Republican majority in the County Legislature for passing her budget. They could hardly have done otherwise. They are Maggie’s creatures, and wouldn’t dare to cross her. Maggie chose not to repeat her campaign rhetoric that there is bi-partisanship in Monroe County Government, because there never has been any such thing.

Maggie proudly proceeds to say that the new budget holds property taxes flat at the rate of $8.99 per $1,000 assessed value for the ninth consecutive year. Maggie never ceases to forget to remind us that the tax bill will increase, anyway, owing to her practice of using “fees” and chargebacks to keep that property tax rate flat.

Finally, Maggie claims her actions have produced a world-class quality of living in Monroe County, while dodging the fact that Monroe County has the highest rate of infant mortality in the state, while the City of Rochester ( the largest political entity within Monroe County ) has the seventh highest rate of child poverty in the entire nation.

The ad concludes with the statement that it was paid for by the Republican Committee.

Obviously, it was an exercise in public relations, to sell an already unconvinced public of the dubious merits of this budget, and the way in which it was handled.

It is similar to a housewife, trying out a new recipe on dinner guests. When the housewife notices some of the guest are looking ill, she exclaims “Heavens, I forgot to get this recipe over to Mary!” She hopes that when her guests hear that, they won’t think that dinner is as bad as they thought it was.

And Maggie’s budget has produced nausea, to all but herself and her acolytes.

Yet, the question remains: Why is Maggie so obsessed with maintaining that flat $8.99 property tax rate, when everyone can see that their tax bill will continue to rise?

Perhaps statements made by Democratic County Legislator, the Honorable Paul Haney, on the night the Republicans passed Maggie budget can shed some light on it.

Prior to Maggie’s assuming the office of Monroe County Executive in 2004, the county’s property tax rate was well above $9.00. The county executive was then, as now, a Republican. The County Legislature was dominated by Republicans. Maggie promptly devised her “FAIR” plan, which diverted $29 million in sales tax dollars from the school districts and into the county’s coffers. Maggie then lowered the county property tax rate to $8.99.

Unfortunately, the school districts sued the county, and the law courts upheld that Maggie’s “FAIR” plan was not only unfair, but illegal. The money had to be paid back to the school districts, but the $8.99 property tax remained. That is because Maggie would have it so. She simply couldn’t return to the old tax rate, because then her effectiveness would be questioned, especially after her unfair “FAIR” plan was legally dismantled!

And for the last nine years, all of Maggie’s efforts to keep that property tax flat have resulted in cuts to county government and increasing the use of fees and chargebacks. While much of the budget is beyond Maggie’s control because of state mandated spending, bragging about maintaining a flat tax rate while the tax bill actually increases seems, well, not quite truthful.

But that is how Maggie started her career as County Executive, and it has remained her one real accomplishment. Maggie would be loathe to admit that it isn’t really solving anything, but as long as she controls the County Legislature, she will see to it that the county tax rate remains flat at $8.99, no matter what other dubious chargebacks and fees will be added onto future tax bills.

Jeff Adair, Republican President of the County Legislature, said so himself when the budget was passed Tuesday night. Come springtime, Adair said, when it’s time for Maggie to start working on the budget for 2014, he knows that she will base it on keeping the tax rate flat at $8.99.

Yet none of the Republicans are attempting to answer of what benefit it is to maintain that flat $8.99 property tax rate, while finding it necessary to resort to fees and chargebacks that actually raise the tax bill.

Perhaps there is really no benefit to such a course of action, except perhaps to soothe Maggie’s tender ego.

Republican Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks: Her mythical claim of "bipartisanship" in Monroe County was debunked last night!

One of the major features of Republican County Executive Maggie Brooks’ failed campaign to become congressman for the 25th Congressional District was that there is “bi-partisanship” in Monroe County.

Nobody took that claim very seriously.

It was certainly NOT in evidence last night, when the Monroe County Legislature voted on the budget for 2013. The voting was done along purely political lines throughout the evening, the Democrats proposing changes to the budget, and the Republicans ( in the majority ) sternly shooting them down.

Only in one instance was there any hint of “bipartisanship:” an amendment to the budget( for $5,000 to promote public awareness of Monroe County’s lamentably high amount of infant mortality ) proposed by the Honorable Stephanie Aldersley , an Irondequoit Democrat, was tabled with a vote of 27 – 2.

Someone on the Republican side cheered and said “Bipartisanship!”

But some jokes are just too obvious to be funny.

The rest of the meeting was business as usual.

The big issue, of course, was Maggie’s new tax on snow and ice removal for the county roads. This doesn’t affect residents of the City of Rochester, but the people in the county towns where the Republicans hold sway. Maggie and her acolytes argue that this new tax is not a tax, it is a fee!

It is akin to that bit in Jesus Christ, Superstar, where the Pharisees offered Judas silver to betray Jesus. When Judas called it “blood money,” the Pharisees scoffed and said that it was a fee, nothing more.

Tax or fee? Well, “a rose by any other name…”

And it is by this bit of smoke and mirrors that Maggie and her acolytes claim that the county’s property tax remains flat at $8.99 per $1,000 of assessed value! Despite the fact that the tax bill will be higher as a result.

Oddly enough, it was the Democratic county legislators, most of whom live in the City of Rochester, who protested this new tax. The Republicans, representing the suburbs, did as they were told and voted for the budget, saddling their constituents with this new tax increase! And none of the Republicans attempted to explain the “benefit” of this undertaking! Perhaps because there was none.

It is a terrible thing to preach a myth as being “truth.”

In the minority or not, the Democrats preferred to be shot for sheep as lambs and protested.

There were also the “chargebacks” to the City of Rochester for indigent burials.

The county allows $1,250 for the burials of poor and homeless people. This consists of a cremation, a cardboard box to contain the cremains and an unmarked grave in “Potters’ Field.”

The county planned to raise the chargeback to $750,000. This suggests that there are hundreds of poor and indigent people who are buried in this way. And the majority of these poor souls are from Rochester.

Yet, after the meeting of the Charlotte Community Association on December 3, Anthony James Micciche, Republican County Legislator for the 26th district ( which covers parts of Rochester, Greece and Gates ) claimed that there were only “eight or nine” such burials this year!

Anthony James Micciche: The only Republican County Legislator to live in Rochester. He voted with his suburban Republican friends to continue the high levy against the city's water supply.

“Eight or nine” indigent burials do NOT justify a budget of $750,000! Perhaps Micciche got his figures wrong. But at no time during last night’s session did Micciche argue that the dollar amount was too high for so few burials!

At any rate, Democratic attempts led by the Honorable Carrie Andrews, Democratic Minority Leader in the County Legislature, to raise the allowance by $600 to allow for a more decent internment of deceased indigent and homeless people were repeatedly shot down by the Republicans.

No bipartisanship there.

Then there is the continued chargeback to the city residents for Rochester Pure Water upgrades that were undertaken years ago. Rochester pays more for its water than do the suburbs, and the difference keeps going into the maw of county government. Repeated attempts to bring our bill for water down to the level of the towns have been shot down by the Republicans, who say they are saving it for when they need it!

Last night was no different. The Honorable Cindy Kaleh, Democratic County Legislator for the 28th district, proposed lowering the water levy against Rochester. The Democrats supported it, the Republican majority shot it down. Micciche, the only Republican legislator who lives in Rochester ( albeit on the border of the Town of Greece ), played follow the leader and voted with his suburban Republican friends to continue the high levy on Rochester’s water. Perhaps Micciche has forgotten that he lives in Rochester. Perhaps Micciche was confused, because he hasn’t lived in Rochester long, having moved back into the city only four years ago for the sole purpose of running for the office of mayor of this city. At that time, Micciche was unaware of a little thing called “residency requirements.” Presumably, he knows about them now.

And the evening continued on in a similar fashion, the Democrats proposing, the Republican majority rejecting and partisanship in full view of anyone who cared to look.

The budget was passed, unchanged. The county tax bill will increase, despite the fraud perpetrated by the Republicans that property taxes continue to remain flat.

The Republicans seem to be obsessed with the figure $8.99! And they are largely unconcerned with the City of Rochester, except to use as a dumping ground for all the County’s problems. There will never be a meeting of the minds in the County Legislature, just clashing political platforms.

On Tuesday, December 11, the Republican dominated Monroe County Legislature will vote on next year’s budget.

Nothing in years has sparked so much controversy as County Executive Maggie Brooks’ sudden case of convenient amnesia when she claimed there were no additional fees or chargebacks in the budget. Then, lo and behold, there WAS a new fee, for snow and ice removal on the county roads. And the “fee,” which is based on the assessed value of the properties involved ( i.e., the county towns ) is really a tax.

No amount of spin control doctoring by Justin Feasel or Scott Adair has changed the public’s perception of that fact. Nobody really believes that this new tax slipped Maggie’s mind. Nobody takes much comfort in the oft-repeated claim that our property taxes are remaining flat while the Monroe county tax bill keeps getting higher.

This subject was broached at two neighborhood association meetings this past week: at, the Charlotte Community Association meeting on Monday, December 3; and at the Maplewood Neighborhood Association meeting two days later, on December 5.

At the Charlotte meeting, rookie Republican County Legislator for the 26th district, Anthony James Micciche, responded to a question about the tax bill by saying that he didn’t like it. He then launched into the standard Republican diatribe, complaining about Democratic Governor Cuomo and mandated spending. It is a Republican broken record, similar to a flock of trained parakeets.

Parakeets are charming birds, with a delightful gift for mimicry, but are incapable of cognitive speech.

I asked Micciche of what benefit it is to the taxpayers to keep the property tax flat, but to use the expedient of fees ( for services that were once covered under the property tax ) and raise the tax bill. Eventually, Micciche said that he “was told” that by shifting those services away from the property tax, the County Legislature could apply for grants to pay for it.

Micciche never enlightened us as to who told him that.

Micciche did say that the County Legislature deals with at least twenty different grant applications on any given month. Whether or not these were grant applications to the county for money or from the county for money, he didn’t say.

After the meeting, in the parking lot, I asked Micciche how getting grant money to pay for those fees would affect the tax bill, since it will already have those fees included in it. Micciche had no real answer, except that we might not get the grant money.

While we may not have been enlightened by his replies, Micciche is proving that he is becoming quite adept at tap dancing around issues, like the “Razzle Dazzle” number from Chicago! In short, he is becoming a “real” politician!

The Honorable Cindy Kaleh, County Legislator for the 28th district: A fee based on the assessed value of property is not a fee, but a tax!

Two days later, at Maplewood, Micciche remained silent on the subject of the tax bill. It took the Democratic County Legislator for the 28th district, the Honorable Cindy Kaleh, to bring it up.

First of all, Cindy pointed out that the tax bill from the City of Rochester and that of the County of Monroe are arranged in completely different formats. In Rochester’s tax bill, the services covered under the property tax ARE listed; the services for which fees are charged are also listed. In short, there is no secret as to what we are paying for.

Monroe County’s tax bill is a far more confusing document, where nothing is readily apparent.

Secondly, Cindy defined “chargebacks” on the county tax bill as fees charged for services rendered that are not included in the property tax. Cindy used the chargebacks for Monroe Community College as an example: since Rochester sends a larger percentage of students to MCC than the county towns, the city’s share of that particular chargeback is proportionally higher. The same goes for indigent burials. But these chargebacks are based on a flat rate, NOT the assessed value of property!

Thirdly, Cindy pointed out that “fees” are charges for service rendered that are not included in the property tax, and are charged at a flat rate. Maggie’s snow and ice removal fees for the county towns are based on the assessed value of the individual owners’ property, NOT a flat fee. This new “fee” is in reality a “tax,” no matter how Maggie and Company attempt to confuse the issue.

This makes far more sense than what the county Republicans are trying to peddle us.

Micciche remained silent during Cindy’s explanation. Nor did Micciche even attempt refute it. How could he have done so?

Unfortunately, Cindy’s sensible explanation will serve no good purpose. On Tuesday, December 11, the County Legislature will pass the budget. It is controlled by Republicans; they will do as they are bidden and pass it. It is the handiwork of one of their own.

What is clear is that whoever came up with this budget didn’t have the guts to admit that they have to raise taxes. And that none of that ilk care to admit that our yet-again “flat” tax rate is among the highest in the state and in the country!

And Maggie? Well, in the County Legislature, at least, she always gets what she wants.

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks: “It’s now obvious that she’s either painfully unaware of what’s in her own budget, or misleading the taxpayers of this community.”

And fees are sometimes referred to as “chargebacks.”

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks has been dining out for years on the fact that she has kept property taxes flat during her administration.

Like so much else Maggie has said, that has to be taken with more than just a grain of salt. Perhaps it requires the whole shaker.

While Monroe County’s property taxes have remained flat ( at $8.99 per $1,000 ), they rank among the highest in both New York State and the entire nation!

Maggie has also made the dubious claim that her administration “created” 85,000 jobs in Monroe County; but then, Rochester’s Citygov also takes credit for that as well.

Maggie has also claimed that she has cut the size and cost of Monroe County’s government. Yet at the same time, Maggie revived a long dormant position with the Water Authority and handed it over to her old friend Bill Carpenter ( Pittsford’s Town Supervisor ) to the tune of $137,000 a year!

This does not sound like fiscal responsibility. It does look like political cronyism, for which Maggie’s administration is justly famous.

But our property taxes have remained flat.

So, why does our county tax bill keep increasing every year?

Why by the increasing use of “fees” or “chargebacks,” which taxpayers get stuck paying no matter if the property tax remains flat or not.

Simply put, a “fee” is a charge that isn’t covered by property taxes. In most cases, they have been shifted away from property taxes in order to make it appear that the property taxes haven’t been increased. You have to pay them just the same. And they come on the same tax bill, to confuse the issue even further.

Chargebacks, though perfectly legal under New York State law, seem unethical because our elected officials aren’t telling us the whole truth about our tax bill.

But our property taxes have remained flat, by this dubious series of levers and pulleys.

Residents of the City of Rochester have long been accustomed to “chargebacks” from Monroe County for maintaining Monroe Community College ( Rochester provides a high number of students who attend MCC ) and for indigent burials ( a large number of whom were from Rochester ). Rochester residents might not like it, but the county towns that control the Monroe County Legislature see those as our just desserts.

Two weeks ago, when Maggie unveiled her county budget for the next year, she was asked if there were any new chargebacks in it. Maggie replied that she didn’t believe there were.

This week, it was revealed that there would, indeed, be a new fee in the county’s tax bill: for snow and ice removal on county roads!

And all Hell broke loose.

Justin Feasel, who has replaced Noah Lebowitz as Monroe County’s mouthpiece, suggested that since the budget was so voluminous, Maggie might simply have overlooked this new chargeback.

This is hardly credible. But then, it is Feasel’s first serious attempt at spin control doctoring. He will improve with time.

More apt is the statement made to the D&C by the Monroe County Legislature’s Democratic minority leader, the Honorable Carrie Andrews: “It’s now obvious that she’s either painfully unaware of what’s in her own budget, or misleading the taxpayers of this community.”

But our property taxes have remained flat.

And the confusion about the county’s tax bill remains.

Monroe County’s Finance Director, Republican Scott Adair, has found it necessary to whine that the chargeback to the county towns for snow and ice removal is NOT a tax, but a fee.

The Honorable Joshua Bauroth “It’s sneaky, It shouldn’t be done like this. If you’ve got to raise taxes, tell us.”

This was countered by Democratic County Legislator the Honorable Joshua Bauroth stating “It’s a difficult distinction to make when you get your (tax) bill in the mail.” The Honorable Mr. Bauroth also stated “It’s sneaky. It shouldn’t be done like this. If you’ve got to raise taxes, tell us.”

And there lies the problem.

If property taxes were raised to cover the cost of administering Monroe County and eliminate “fees,”, Maggie would lose her one ( questionable ) claim to fame: keeping property taxes flat. That is something she and her crew will never do!

It would make more sense of the county’s tax bill, though. Especially since Monroe County’s administration is increasingly relying upon fees and chargebacks to balance the budget.

So, where doe that leave us?

Well, our county tax bill will continue to climb. The county towns will now be charged a fee for snow and ice removal.

Bob Dietch is probably Rochester’s premier piano bar entertainer; anyone attending the piano bar at Tara’s Cocktail Lounge between the presidential administrations of Tricky Dicky and Dubya knows his name! Like a line from the theme song of “Cheers.” Possessed of a seemingly limitless repertoire of show tunes, ballads, popular music and sometimes delightfully naughty songs, Bob built up quite a following over the years, and the following became like family.

Then, a few years ago, Tara closed up shop. Sad, but true. And there were no other places in Rochester that featured a piano bar.

Last year, Mark Leenhouts, owner of Shea’s, invited Bob to perform monthly at his restaurant! And the old crowd had someplace to gather again to hear Bob sing and play!

Last night was just such an event!

Bob is always at his stellar best, and last night was no exception. The old crowd was thrilled to hear his magic fingers at work. Some of the more talented members of the audience ( involved in local theatre ) got up and sang to Bob’s expert accompaniment on the keyboard, while most would sing along!

It is always “old home week” when Bob plays, and people reminisce about the old days and of friends, family and spouses who are no longer with us. A chance for people to recapture, if only briefly, their youth while time goes pit-pat in the glass.

Of course, while Bob is a great draw, Shea’s itself has a lot to offer!

Located on Knickerbocker Road ( “just north of the tracks” ) in the Town of Ontario ( Wayne County ) Shea’s offers a wonderfully eclectic menu that’s sure to please the most discriminating palate. They offer a delightful selection of appetisers, traditional burgers and steak as well as fish, seafood, chicken and vegetarian dishes ( I like their salmon ). They also make real, honest to God mashed potatoes ( ! ) and homemade gravy with some of their entrees!

There is also the traditional fish fry on Fridays.

Because everything is made to order, there will be a bit of a wait, but it’s worth it! Do you want it fast or good? Remember, this is fine dining, even if the atmosphere is relaxed.

And, of course, the delightful antics of the waitstaff, like that of Chris, Christine and the others, could make even a mediocre meal seem like a feast!

But ”mediocre” is not in Mark Leenhout’s dictionary!

So, what has a restaurant in Wayne County got to do with Rochester? Well, nothing…and everything!

Until this past January, Shea’s was located on the East Avenue strip in downtown Rochester. The attitude of Citygov toward small local businesses has become downright oppressive, with taxes, fees, restrictions and inspectors each looking to get their pound of flesh. These were the lemons Citygov threw at Shea’s; so Mark took those lemons and made lemonade in Ontario! And with him went the sales tax revenue that Citygov depends so heavily upon, another example of Rochester being penny-wise and pound foolish!

Oh well.

But Shea’s is worth the trip to Ontario for good food, good wine and wonderful, nostalgic entertainment when Bob Dietch is performing! Like from “Cabaret:” “Start celebrating; right this way, your table’s waiting!”

The government has released the news that the great recession is over. Apparently, it ended last year, although nobody had noticed. People are still being laid off, prices are still rising, taxes are rising to balance budgets that include overpaid politicians and their staffs as well as huge pensions. But the government has announced that things have gotten better!

Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on their part. Perhaps they hope that people will believe them, although people have no reason to do so. Perhaps they are hoping people will give thanks to the new prophet, the Obama Rama Dhing Dhong, for this “good news.” And they wonder why fewer people go to church and pray these days!

They must be joking! Or perhaps it is meant to give fellow Democrats a boost in the election this November.

“See, the recession has been over for a year and we Democrats did it, so vote us back in and stop complaining!”

Does anyone feel their gorge rise at statements like that?

Look at Rochester. The northeast and southwest parts of town are hardly examples of increasing prosperity. Companies are laying off people to make do with smaller staffs, which has a ripple effect on the rest of the local economy. Full time employees are being replaced by part-timers, who receive few, if any, benefits. Businessmen continue to be “nickel and dimed” to death with all the fees and requirements that government insists upon imposing merely to raise more revenue for themselves. Local government claims that they have “created” tens of thousands of jobs. Consolidating jobs into one or two locations in Rochester hasn’t “created” anything. When asked “where,” they sheepishly reply that they have “saved” tens of thousands of jobs in this area. We are supposed to believe that had it not been for their efforts, every existing job in Rochester would have flown south?

Hogwash!

And that’s what this joyful announcement about the end of the great recession is.

Or perhaps the government meant that it is over everywhere except Rochester and New York State!

Contributors

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Rich Gardner has been writing about the history, culture and waterways of Upstate New York for years. His articles have appeared in U.S. and Canadian publications, and one book, Learning to Walk. He is an alumnus of Brighton High School and SUNY Geneseo. He operates Upstate Resume & Writing Service in Brighton and recently moved to Corn Hill, where he is already involved in community projects. "I enjoy the 'Aha!' moments of learning new things, conceptual and literal. City living is a great teacher."

Ken Warner grew up in Brockport and first experienced Rochester as a messenger boy for a law firm in Midtown Tower. He recently moved downtown into a loft on the 13th floor of the Temple Building with a view of the Liberty Poll and works in the Powers Building overlooking Rochester’s four corners as Executive Director for UNICON, an organization devoted to bringing economic development to the community. He hopes to use his Rochester Blog to share his observations from these unique views of downtown.